WBYC News

As the 2019 sailing season nears, I wanted to take a moment to share the current social event schedule and get some input from you all.

Saturday May 4th is the first event of 2019! Please come to the WBYC to help with dock lift in. We rely on volunteers to make this happen, so if you are available to lend a hand, come and enjoy the cold water with us. We promise to have you home in time for the Derby! Come for an hour or come for the day – we greatly appreciate any and all help.

You will see that there are two summer social events listed below with TBD locations. If any of you have the desire to host an event, please reach out to me directly (contact info below). My wife, Lindsay, and I will coordinate with hosts and the sailing community to make this summer’s social events a highlight of the summer!

We are also open to scheduling additional after race parties if we have more folks that would like to host. If you would like to add another gathering to the calendar, please let me know the dates you are interested in and we can discuss the details.

Saturday, May 4 – Lift In Day – 8:00am @ WBYC – Stop by and help if you can!

If you haven’t already registered for the 2019 sailing season, a reminder of your password is at the bottom of this email. If you aren’t going to register a boat, the Associate Membership is available for only $30, and includes all of these parties!

Thank you for being a part of this great community, and here’s to the 2019 season!

We are deeply sorry to inform everyone that WBYC Sailor George Benz passed away February 1. George was an incredible supporter of the White Bear Yacht Club where he was a member from 1964 until his death. His support of the resurgence of the A Scow fleet at White Bear was inspiring and we will surely miss seeing him on the water in his magnificent pontoon boat.

George’s sailing career was mentioned in the book entitled “WBYC Its History” published in 1961. Some of you may know, our X Fleet was pretty hot during the 50’s. The first mention of George was his placing 9th in the 1952 ILYA X Championship as the 4th best WBYC sailor (1 Bob Holman, 7 Hod Irvine, 8 Tom Milton).

The records also show the 1952 X Inter-lake Regatta was won by Hod Irvine with George finishing in 2nd place. In 1953, George won the Club Championship and placed 7th in the ILYA Championship (Bob Holman was second). In 1954 George finished 4th in the ILYA Champs (Doug Holman was 2nd). A young sailor named Steve Johnson made his debut in the X Class in 1955 and that year, George was 6th.

Having sailed four ILYA Class X Championships, George had all his finishes in the top 10 and this was before the split into Junior and Senior fleets. This was an outstanding accomplishment for a young sailor!

George aged out of the X’s in 1955 right about the time the WBYC Class D Fleet was in decline. George’s older sister Nickie, was an outstanding sailor in her own right in the D boat. George began sailing quite a bit over on Minnetonka and crewed on the famous Pillsbury A-boats. John and son Jock Pillsbury were very fast A scow sailors, winning multiple ILYA Championships in the 1960’s and 1970’s with George onboard. George had some great stories about what it was like to get up on the bow of an A Scow in heavy wind and jibe the large symmetrical spinnaker. That took courage and a lot of trust that your skipper knew what to do.

Jock Pillsbury said George would come over every Saturday to Minnetonka and sail with Jock’s father, John and Jock on their A boat. After Jock got out of the Navy, George sailed with Jock on his A boat. Jock commented this week, “he was a very good crew-mate”.

In recent years we have the greatest memories of George and Karen hosting some wonderful sailing parties at their lakeside home. We will miss George’s voice and his comments on Channel 72 during our races, offering help when needed to the race committee by fetching marks and helping boats in distress.

George is survived by his sons, George and Theodore (Derek); daughters-in-law Stephanie and Elizabeth and 2 grandchildren, Theodore (Finn) and Hendry as well as a sister, Louise Benz Plank of Buffalo, WY.

Please keep the Benz family in your thoughts at this difficult time.

For more information about George’s incredible career, accomplishments, philanthropy, and for funeral information please Click Here.

We’re sorry to report that longtime WBYC sailor Evelyn Crawford passed away on June 27th 2018 at her Peninsula Road home surrounded by her family. Her husband George Crawford, an avid C Scow racer passed away a few years ago. The entire Crawford family raced C’s and X’s and George and Evelyn’s grandchildren raced in Class X as well. Evelyn was frequent C Scow crew onboard the “Snoosnip” and also raced in the Parents Class X races on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings.

There will be a Funeral Mass for her at St. Michael’s Church in Stillwater on Monday, July 9th at 11:00, with visitation in the church atrium at 10:00. After Mass, there will be a brief informal gathering at Firefly Farm. 11675 Keats Ave. North, Stillwater MN 55082

Evelyn dearly loved her rescued poodle Charlie. The family requests if you wish to honor her memory, in lieu of flowers, please donate to Secondhand Hounds in her name.

The Clear Lake Yacht Club invites member clubs sailing E’s, C’s MC’s and X’s to the Inter-Lake Yachting Association’s 2018 Annual Regatta to be held August 2-5 at Clear Lake, IA. The Inter-Lake Yachting Association pre-dates even the ILYA and we think this is the 123rd Inter-Lake Regatta. The event started as a challenge race between White Bear and Minnetonka in the late 1800’s.

This year the event will return to a Fri-Sun format with registration and set-up on Thursday August 2nd from 3-8pm. Thursday eve after you get settled in you can see “The Smoking Flowers” on stage at The Surf Ballroom. 460 North Shore Drive 7pm-930 pm. This is a FREE event, with a cash bar.

Friday evening Aug 3rd at 630 pm there will be a party at the CLYC featuring the Best Mexican in North Iowa from Pastimes Bar and Grill. Then sit back and watch the Classic Car Parade go by.

Saturday Aug 4th at 630 pm the social festivities will be at the home of Jeff Brakke, 1929 North Shore Drive. Come and enjoy heavy appetizers and drinks.

NOTE: Housing is limited – hotels must be booked by July 2nd or call your Clear Lake friends or contactMargaret Osmundson.

Please get your registrations to your WBYC Fleet Rep by July 25th. All meals and merchandise can be purchased at registration.

The Ordway Handicap and Picnic is set for Sunday, July 8th at 11:00 AM starting in the Yacht Club Bay and followed at 1 PM by the traditional picnic on the Ordway’s lawn sponsored by the WBYC Sailing Committee and the Ordway family.

IMPORTANT: Any sailboat from the lake may race in the Ordway Handicap race. Participants in the race are invited to the post race picnic at 10 Dellwood Avenue, BUT – Reservations are required! Please respond to JGOhandicap@outlook.com to reserve your spot at the picnic. Please include the type of boat and names that will be attending the picnic in your email reservation.

The Ordway Handicap tradition started in 1947 when Charlotte Ordway, a founding member of the Saint Paul Garden Club and wife of WBYC sailor Jack Ordway, Sr. hosted a luncheon, at her summer home on White Bear Lake, for national officers who were meeting in Saint Paul.To enhance the setting, Mrs. Ordwayoffered a trophy for a handicapped sailing race with the condition it start, end and be sailed in the bay in front of her home. Unfortunately, the weather did not co-operate and the race was cancelled. The trophies were repurposed for a 4th of July race now known as the Ordway Handicap and a picnic was held after the race on the Ordway’s lawn until the mid-sixties. Last year, the picnic was revived by the Ordway Family.

Thanks to Craig and Peggy Witthaus for hosting a fantastic After Race Party on Saturday June 16! Our next event will be on July 8th after the Ordway Handicap Race, at the Dellwood home of John and Marla Ordway.

The first races of the 2018 season are coming up this weekend.Saturday May 19  2:30pm WarningSunday May 20  2:30pm Earning

To get the Race Committee announcements 1-hour before each race, call the WBYC Sailing Hotline at 612-564-9292. And as usual, the Race Officer will keep the fleets informed immediately before each race on VHF Chanel 72.

Please read through the Sailing Instructions, as a refresher on our Club policies and rules, as well as the Racing Rules of Sailing (2017-2020) to brush up on the rules of the race course.

Our White Bear Sailing School (WBSS) has launched a new website with a great new look and updated information. Click Here to see all the classes available for Summer 2018.

Olivia Staruck named new Waterfront Director for 2018This is Olivia’s fourth summer at WBSS and her first serving as the Waterfront Director. She is currently a sophomore at UW Madison where she is studying Community Nonprofit Leadership and Political Science. Outside of classes, she is a member of the Wisconsin Sailing Team where she serves on the board as the recruitment chair. Previously she was captain of the White Bear High School sailing team where she sailed for 4 years. She has experience coaching Optis, X boats, and 420s. Olivia’s experience in both high school and college sailing is a great help to her race teams. When she is not coaching you will find her sailing MCs and E boats in WBYC races.